Hi all,

Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?

I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special
reference to Perth ('cause that's where I am & could only find 2 on the
'net).

Raelene
xxx


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Kylie wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?
>
> I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special
> reference to Perth ('cause that's where I am & could only find 2 on
> the 'net).
>
> Raelene
> xxx

I'm not in Australia, but my middle brother signed up for cooking classes
held by a local chef/restauranteur. You might wish to inquire of local
restaurants as to whether or not they hold something similar. No, he
doesn't do grudge-work in the kitchen to the benefit of the restaurant! It
is closed on Sundays and that's when the classes are held. He's getting a
real kick out of it.

Sample menu items from an email he sent me are below:

"Here are the recipes from a cooking class I was at this morning at
Jarrett's http://www.jarretts.com with Chef Richard Farmer. The lunch menu
is:

Mussels Marinara
Seafood Terrene on Salad w/Saffron Aioli
Stuffed Trout with Vermouth
Sauteed Grouper Bourride
Maracan Grilled Swordfish,
Chocolate Lava Cake & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

There were about 15 people there and it was a little crazy. It started at
9:00 and was over about 12:30. Best part was that we ate for lunch what we
helped to cook. I got to help with prep, sautéing veggies for the
Ratatouille (on the big chef's stove. it was hot, with two big sauté
pans going) and finishing the wine sauce for Coq Au Vin. These aren't
recipes from the restaurant, just classic recipes and techniques.

Also, here's the recipe for the Crustacean Cocktail that I tried to make at
Thanksgiving [that was in 2002]. I was on the right basic track he said,
and was happy
to give me the recipe. No thickeners such as catsup or tomato paste. I had
no idea there would be simple syrup or sambal in it though. Also he said the
V-8 works better than plain tomato juice.

Crustacean Cocktail

1 ½ Cups Mixed Citrus Juice
2 C. V-8 Juice
1 C. Olive Oil
1 Poblano pepper (diced fine)
1 Red Bell (diced fine)
½ Red Onion (diced fine)
½ bunch of cilantro (chopped)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin
2 seeded and diced jalapenos
2 oz. Simple Syrup
1 oz. Sambal

Portion:
4 Shrimp
2 oz. Lobster
pour the liquid over the top of the seafood into large martini glasses.
Garnish with Avocado Tomato Salsa

Jill

Kylie wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?
>
> I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special
> reference to Perth ('cause that's where I am & could only find 2 on the
> 'net).


I attended the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, New York 20 years ago.
I've taken cooking classes since then. I taught a college semester of
cooking for students studying to become dieticians. I've also taught
small community school classes in health food cooking. (I can't help on
the Australia part of your question.)

Are you thinking of cooking classes geared towards professional cooking,
job training or vocational educational? Or is it more along the lines
of learning to make something wonderful at home? Or something else?

I've noticed that a lot of people take cooking classes as a sort of
entertainment, a way to meet people with similar interests, like a nice
dinner out except you don't need a date. There's nothing wrong with
that, but I wish I'd known before I started teaching. I went in all
serious thinking about what the students would learn and found my
classes not going well because they were more interested in chatting and
having fun and wanted me to be more entertaining when I was being serious.

--Lia

"Kylie" > wrote in message . au>...
> Hi all,
>
> Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?
>
> I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special
> reference to Perth ('cause that's where I am & could only find 2 on the
> 'net).
>
> Raelene
> xxx

Totally depends on who is teaching it. IME, they vary in quality
quite a bit. I have been to some great seminars at Whole Foods (in
the US) and not-so-great classes held at the local community college.
Ask to speak to former graduates of the program, or students.

-L.

On 2003-12-29, Julia Altshuler > wrote:

> I've noticed that a lot of people take cooking classes as a sort of
> entertainment, a way to meet people with similar interests, like a nice
> dinner out except you don't need a date. There's nothing wrong with
> that, but I wish I'd known before I started teaching. I went in all
> serious thinking about what the students would learn and found my
> classes not going well because they were more interested in chatting and
> having fun and wanted me to be more entertaining when I was being serious.

Not to rain on your parade, but perhaps you are just not a good
teacher. I've attended many single session cooking classes, most with
wine served during the class. Very seldom have I encountered the
attendees chatting and generally ignoring the chef/teacher. Usually,
the class members are very attentive, paying close attention to the
instruction. I'm not saying you aren't a good chef, but not everyone
is cut out to be a teacher.

nb

notbob wrote:

> Not to rain on your parade, but perhaps you are just not a good
> teacher. I've attended many single session cooking classes, most with
> wine served during the class. Very seldom have I encountered the
> attendees chatting and generally ignoring the chef/teacher. Usually,
> the class members are very attentive, paying close attention to the
> instruction. I'm not saying you aren't a good chef, but not everyone
> is cut out to be a teacher.


You may be right. Whenever I teach one-on-one, no matter the subject, I
get compliments. I'm clear and thorough and have a good knack for
discovering the trouble spot and explaining it. With classes, however,
that same clear, step-by-step thorough-ness may well make me boring. I
wouldn't say my students ignore me, but they haven't necessarily been
attentive. I did get the feeling that some thought of the class as
entertainment, and I'm not good at entertaining.

--Lia

jmcquown wrote:
> Kylie wrote:
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?
>>
>>I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special
>>reference to Perth ('cause that's where I am & could only find 2 on
>>the 'net).
>>
>>Raelene
>>xxx
>
>
> I'm not in Australia, but my middle brother signed up for cooking classes
> held by a local chef/restauranteur. You might wish to inquire of local
> restaurants as to whether or not they hold something similar. No, he
> doesn't do grudge-work in the kitchen to the benefit of the restaurant! It
> is closed on Sundays and that's when the classes are held. He's getting a
> real kick out of it.
>
> Sample menu items from an email he sent me are below:
>
> "Here are the recipes from a cooking class I was at this morning at
> Jarrett's http://www.jarretts.com with Chef Richard Farmer. The lunch menu
> is:
>
> Mussels Marinara
> Seafood Terrene on Salad w/Saffron Aioli
> Stuffed Trout with Vermouth
> Sauteed Grouper Bourride
> Maracan Grilled Swordfish,
> Chocolate Lava Cake & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
>
> There were about 15 people there and it was a little crazy. It started at
> 9:00 and was over about 12:30. Best part was that we ate for lunch what we
> helped to cook. I got to help with prep, sautéing veggies for the
> Ratatouille (on the big chef's stove. it was hot, with two big sauté
> pans going) and finishing the wine sauce for Coq Au Vin. These aren't
> recipes from the restaurant, just classic recipes and techniques.
>
> Also, here's the recipe for the Crustacean Cocktail that I tried to make at
> Thanksgiving [that was in 2002]. I was on the right basic track he said,
> and was happy
> to give me the recipe. No thickeners such as catsup or tomato paste. I had
> no idea there would be simple syrup or sambal in it though. Also he said the
> V-8 works better than plain tomato juice.
>
> Crustacean Cocktail
>
> 1 ½ Cups Mixed Citrus Juice
> 2 C. V-8 Juice
> 1 C. Olive Oil
> 1 Poblano pepper (diced fine)
> 1 Red Bell (diced fine)
> ½ Red Onion (diced fine)
> ½ bunch of cilantro (chopped)
> 1 tsp. ground coriander
> 1 tsp. cumin
> 2 seeded and diced jalapenos
> 2 oz. Simple Syrup
> 1 oz. Sambal
>
> Portion:
> 4 Shrimp
> 2 oz. Lobster
> pour the liquid over the top of the seafood into large martini glasses.
> Garnish with Avocado Tomato Salsa
>
> Jill
>
>
Hi, I am a newbie in this newsgroup and happen to know what sambal is.
It is a prepared mixture of red chilis (with seeds), salt and a little
cooking oil finely chopped and mixed to form a paste. In the
Netherlands, Europe (where i live) you can buy it in any supermarket.
This is because we eat (and like) a lot of Indonesian food in which it
is used. Sambal is VERY VERY hot.